Stencil



Oct. 29, 1929. L. w. WAGNER STENCIL Filed May 21, 1928 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 29, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LUDWIG W. WAGNER, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOIB, TO A. .B. DICK COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS STENCIL Application filed May 21,

This invention relates to improvements in stencils, and has particular reference to a stencil for use in duplicating machinesof the general type shown in my copending application, Serial No. 235,934, filed November 26, 1927.

Stencils such as commonly employed on duplicating and other like machines present diflicultiesin properly mounting and securing the same in operative position upon the drum of the machine. Usually, after securing one end of the stencil to the drum, it becomes necessary to handle the stencil to lay it evenly over the surface of said drum. This operation must be carefully performed to avoid wrinkling ortearing of the stencil and after being accomplished the other end of the stencil is secured by means of a, clamping device which directly contacts said stencil. Again, owing to the fact that these clamping devicesare generally metallic, there is danger, unless extreme precautions are taken, of the stencil becoming torn, particularly after repeated use thereof.

In accordance with the present invention, the above difiiculties are overcome by providing the stencil with a gripping and securing portion which will enable the operator to easily and quickly position the stencil upon the drum of the machine without actually handling the main portion of the stencil and with which the clamping device may be engaged to secure the stencil in its adjusted position. Preferably, this gripping and securing portion is made of a material havmg a greater tensile strength thanthe body or main part of the stencil to minimize the possibility of tearing by the clamping device which engages it.

It is further proposed to connect the stencil to the drum in such manner that, after attaching one end of the stencil to the drum and prior to its being laid thereon and secured in position, it may be adjusted laterally relative thereto so as to properly center the stencil relative to the drum.

A further feature resides in providing the stencil with a removable graduated guide sheet which will facilitate the operation, when preparing the stencil for use in a dupli- 1928; Serial No. 279,429.,

eating machine, of impressing the desired type or other indicia upon the stencil in proper position thereon.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, one of which, for purposes of illustration, is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of the stencil, looking at the front thereof and partly broken away;

Figure 2 is a similar view of the back of the stencil;

Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away and shown in section, of the drum of a dup icating machine, illustrating the manner in which the stencil is mounted thereon; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the manner of attaching one end of the stencil to the drum.

The stencil, in its preferred form, consists of the duplicating sheet 5, which may be made by any of the known processes and which may be of any desired size depending upon the length of the sheet to be printed upon. One

end of the main portion or sheet 5 ot the sten oil is secured to the inner end of an attaching portion 6 made of a material such as parchment paper having a greater tensile strength than the portion 5. The portion 6 is reduced, as indicated at 7, at its outer end and the paper is doubled upon itself to provide a loop 8 which is adapted to receive an attaching rod 9 utilized to connect one end of the stencil to the drum of the duplicating machine, this rod forming a part of the equipment of said machine. Through the medium of the loop 8 which loosely receives said rod, it is possible, when mounting the stencil in position upon said drum, to adjust said stencil longitudinally of the rod and laterally with respect to the drum to properly center the stencil before securing the other end thereto. This adjustment has the further advantage over known stencils, wherein only openings or other fastening means are provided for attachment to the drum of a machine which do not permit of such adjustment, that after a stencil has been prepared for the machine and it is desired to change the width of the lefthand margin on the sheets to be printed, this may be done by simply shifting the stencil laterally, whereas in the old type of stencil a new one would have to be prepared.

Preferably forming a continuation of the attaching portion 6 is a guide sheet 10 which is capable of being detached from the portion 6 along the line of perforations l1 adja cent the point where the sheet 5 is secured to the portion 6. This guide sheet 10 is calibrated along at least two of its edges, as shown in Figure 1, and vertical and horizontal lines 12 are drawn on the sheet to assist in guiding and properly positioning the stencil in a typewriter when preparing the main portion 5 for duplicating purposes. For example, if it is desired that the first line of a letter be a predetermined distance from the top of the letter sheet and the left-hand margin of the letter a certain width, the stencil, when placed in the typewriter, is adjusted so that the horizontal line 12 corresponding to the desired vertical spacing is ali ned with the line scale on the typewriter anc the marginal stop of the latter is then adjusted to register with the desired vertical line on said guide sheet for determining the width of the margin on the stencil. WVhen this is being done, it is desirable to insert a sheet of tissue (not shown) between the portion 5 and the guide sheet 10. After the portion 5 has had the type impressed thereon the guide sheet 10 may be removed from the stencil along the line of perforations 11 and the stencil then applied to the drum of the duplicating machine.

The stencil further includes a gripping and securing portion 13 attached in any preferable manner to the end of the portion 5 opposite the portion 6 and said portion 13 is also made of parchment paper or the like. In the manufacture of the stencil the portion 13 is folded along its inner edge upon the back of the guide sheet so that when a number of stencils are packed in a box for shipment or storage, the engagement of the folding line of portion 13 with the lower edge of sheet 10 will keep the stencil sheet in a flat condition and prevent it from becoming wrinkled. When preparing the stencil for duplication, that is, when the same is mounted upon the typewriter, the portion 13 is folded in the manner just described and thereby assists in retaining the portion 5 and the sheet of tissue above mentioned in proper position. After completing the preparatory operation of typing the stencil and the guide sheet 10 hasbeen detached, the stencil is ready for application to the du licating machine.

As shown in igures 3 and 4, the drum 14 of the duplicating. machine is provided at its ends with tubular portions 15 and 16. At the ends of the tubes 15 there are stops or flanges 17 with which are engaged the ends of the rod 9 after the latter has been inserted through the loop 8 of the stencil. This adj ustment may be readily and quicklly made by grasping the portion 6 of the stenci and after the rod is in position the operator takes hold of the portion 13 and the stencil is laid over the drum 14 in the direction of the tube 16. Should it be necessary to adjust the stencil laterally relative to the drum to properly center said stencil, the previously mentioned adjustment of the latter relative to the rod 9 may be accomplished before the stencil is stretched over the drum; During the mounting of the stencil, handling of the portion 5 is absolutely unnecessary and by pulling upon the portion 13 the stencil may be stretched smoothly over the drum without injury to said portion 5. After being so stretched the portion 13 is'extended around the tube 16 and a pivoted spring-pressed clamping device 18 is then engaged with said portion 13 to secure the same to the end of the drum, thereby fastening the stencil in its operative position. Thus, by the use of the portion 13, it is apparent that handling of the sheet or portion 5 may be entirely avoided when adjusting the stencil in position. Furthermore, the portion 13 provides a securing means which may be engaged by the clamp 18 so,

that the sheet 5 need not be contacted by said clamp when attaching the stencil, thus eliminating the possibility of tearing of the relatively weak sheet 5. i

What is claimed is:

1. A stencil for use in a duplicating machine including a main portion, a drum-attaching portion at one end of the main portion, a graduated guide sheet detachably connected to said attaching portion by a line of perforations, and a gripping and securing IOU portion foldably aflixed to the other end of said main portion and extending beyond said graduated sheet.

2. A stencil including a main portion, a drum-attaching portion at one end of said main portion formed into a loop to receive a rod for connecting the stencil to the drum of a duplicating machine and relative to which rod said portions are longitudinally adjust able, a graduated sheet removably attached at one end to saiddrum-attaching portion and having its other end coextensive with the adjacent end of saidmain portion, and a gripping and securing portion attached to the latter end of said main portion and having a folding line. which ermits the same to be folded over upon the ack of said. graduated sheet.

In testimony whereof I have afiixe d my signature.

LUDVVIG W. WAGNER. 

